Choose between bus pass and cycle

School managements confused over govts direction on restricting benefit

In addition, the district education officer’s oral directive to schools which had already distributed the cycles, to get back the cycles from the students, has added to the confusion.

The education department had at the outset notified all schools to not distribute cycles to hostelites and bus pass holders based on the principle that beneficiaries of one scheme need not be extended benefits under another scheme.

However, since the government had supplied cycles based on the complete strength of the students, some managements decided to distribute them to all the students.
But now, at least 110 students from Gadag alone have been asked to return their cycles. These discrepancies have caused heartburns among students and parents.
“Even though we are hostelites, our hostel is located far away from the school. So even we need cycles to reach the school,” lamented a student.

‘Discrimination’

Initially, only girl students from below poverty line were distributed the cycles. The government then went on to include all students and then even brought aided schools under the scheme. “But, the government’s new conditions are discriminatory,” alleged MLC and former education minister Basavaraj Horatti.

He criticised the education department saying their continuous change of stand shows the “lack of experience” of the BJP government.

While saying students and schools all over the State were faced with this problem, he added that there were many irregularities in acquiring these cycles. “The cycles are being brought for higher prices from Chennai,” he said.

Horatti urged the government to issue another direction and distribute cycles to all the students in the State.